Red Hot Dogs

I’ve been missing Maine a lot recently. Now there’s a statement my twenty-five-year-old self never thought I’d utter out loud a mere five years ago, practically to the day, that I “escaped” to Boston. But here I am. These feelings became even more prevalent after a whirlwind Saturday a few weeks ago when I met my mother, sister, and grandmother for a joint birthday celebration lunch at the Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster Company. Harraseeket Lunch is a cozy little place on the water located a few miles away from the shop-till-you drop insanity of the outlet shoppers who stalk the main streets of Freeport.

CK and I munched on fried clams and I doled out pretty baubles from Tis-Tik to my fellow June babies. Of course when I lived in Maine I still retained a lot of my picky eating habits so I wouldn’t have touched a clam with a ten foot poll, and would never have willingly chosen to eat one for lunch. As I sat with my family I recalled that until that day I had exclusively consumed hot dogs while sitting on the restaurant’s weathered red picnic tables.

After having lunch, CK and I drove back to Portland to see my friend Anna. Anna recently moved back to Portland from Boston and now resides in the same building in an apartment with an eerily similar layout to the one she lived in while we were both living there after college. Talk about being hit over the head with nostalgia…

Then we topped off my little trip down memory lane by going out for drinks at our favorite neighborhood bar The Downtown Lounge where a friend of mine from high school is a bartender. Leon made me many martinis which of course led to some ridiculous shenanigans but eventually CK and I had to go. Before we left I insisted that CK drive me to the supermarket so I could buy the pièce de résistance of a Maine summer: red hot dogs.

I very tipsily skipped through the local Hannaford to the meat counter and scooped up two enormous packages of red hot dogs. The traditional brand that I grew up with, Jordan’s, went out of business years ago so I ended up with six pounds of Kayem Old Tyme Reds.

What’s so special about red hot dogs other than their bright red casings? Well, honestly unless you’ve tried one before it’s hard to explain. Simply put they just taste like summer. I like mine lightly browned on the grill and then topped with French’s yellow mustard. My mom likes her red hot dogs burned to a crisp. CK has been putting relish on the ones we’ve been grilling at home but I suspect he does that because he doesn’t like them. Obviously as I have 5 billion of these little red dogs in our freezer he has become less and less enthused when I pull them out to put on our new grill, but I still get excited every time. It’s comforting to have a little piece of home on your plate when you’re feeling a bit displaced. So I’ll keep eating my snappy little hot dogs until I can return to Maine again in person.

Have you ever had a red hot dog? Did you like it or were you completely freaked out by the fact that they’re the same shade as red velvet cake?

Red hot dogs FTW! I thought they were a Maine only thing but I’ve been told you can also find them at the Porter Square Shaw’s. I ate an obscene amount of these babies over the 4th up at my parents’ house, but the leftovers are in my fridge ready to be grilled.

Wow, those look radioactive! When I lived in Rochester, NY, we had “red hots” – but those were really just regular old brownish-red hot dogs. The “red” differentiated them from “white hots,” a creepy-looking white hot dog that I haven’t seen anywhere outside of Rochester.

Yeah, DTL! Too bad you weren’t here for longer, I would have loved to have a drink with you. Next time! And those red dogs sure are snappy- but it’s better than a steamed dog, which they sell down by the waterfront… and they’re a little mooshy.

I haven’t heard of or seen a red hot dog. New England seems very different (I was in Boston 2 weeks ago). I’m from the Philly area and I like my Dietz and Watson hot dogs, but I’d try a red one if I had the chance.

I must admit that I have never even heard of red hot dogs. But now I kind of want to try them. Not to mention I love Kayem (not just because they are the official Fenway Frank) because they are made in Chelsea (go Chelsea!!).

I’ve always wondered where the red dog tradition at bean suppers started. I still haven’t found the definitive answer.
Harraseeket s a family favourite for dining on the water. Now that Mom and SD live in ME year round it has begun to feel more like home and less like the summah place.

This was wonderfully written. I live in Maine now for the past nine years & have yet to eat a red hot dog. I just can’t get past the blood red color. I’m from NY where we specialize in white hot dogs – which have a lovely taste all their own. I may have to try one now.

Oh my goodness. Red Hot Dogs. The stuff of summer for us too, except now they go by RHDs for short. My dad cooks these up every weekend we are up in Maine, all summer long. He usually cannot wait until noon to do so, so we often have them as a really healthy “second breakfast” around 11. Something about that crunch when you bite through the red casings really makes these things special. I never eat hot dogs unless I am up at our lake house and my dad is grilling them up. He won’t let us use ketchup on them, only yellow mustard. And they must be cradled in JJ Nissen buns. YUM.

I grew up in upstate NY and LOVED these red hot dogs! I can’t find them anywhere here in Louisville and when I talk about them to friends and co-workers they just seem weirded out. lol But they don’t know what they’re missing!

I lived in Bangor for a year right after college and LOVED the red hot dogs! Possibly better than the red hot dogs are the buns cut on top and steamed. For years after moving back to Indiana I missed the dogs but recently have been able to find them in our grocery store. My son is allergic to artificial colors… and well, there’s no shortage of red40 in those bad boys! So, we don’t eat them often. When we do it’s totally Maine for me! 😀

Hope all is well in Boston Erin. Thanks again for turning me on to the Zoku popsicle maker. I just made some mint lime white tea popsicles today that were quite yummy. Cannot wait to post the recipe and my review of this gadget!

How are you liking the loft? I was looking through your other blog and realized I think I know exactly where you are living (not trying to be a stalker, just walked by some lofts near Davis quite a bit) and if they are the lofts I am thinking of, they are incredibly gorgeous.

Great post. These look a lot like the Glaziers hotdogs my dad grew up with. His version is very local to Northern NY. Whenever his travels take him up there, he brings back a cooler full. Kudos for only putting French’s yellow mustard on it. It’s the only condiment you’re allowed to put on it.

Oh wow, I haven’t had a red hot dog in YEARS!! These are the “normal” hotdogs in the Philippines, where I grew up. I never even bothered looking for them in Boston, I just assumed they weren’t available. I will be sure to make a trip to Shaw’s this weekend to look for them this weekend because now I am craving them!

My brother and I used to play pirates on the Jordans Meat platform between the warehouse (?) and cold storage (?) buildings in Waterville when we were taking breaks from building Railroad Square Cinema with our dad. This would have been summer 1978. The building is still painted that shitty drab green, but the business’ that flourish in that space today are wonderful.
Yeah, those dogs had a real snap when you bit into them! I’m with you on a bit of char.
Scott

I’m not sure what you mean by Jordan’s went out of business years ago. Jordan’s are available in Maine in Walmart, and… you can ever order them online from a shop in Maine and have them shipped to you. Here’s the link:

We are from Phoenix, AZ. We discovered red hot dogs in 2001 when we traveled to Brookton for a few weeks on Jacksonbrook and Drake Lakes. They are the best, split open and fried dry in a hot pan. Then butter and fry, in the same pan, the buns. Add Aunt Bert’s homemade relish and mustard and you have an amazing feast!

I had red dogs years ago and thought they were the best HD I’d ever had. I guy I worked with had them shipped from a deli in Boston. since then I’ve aways wanted to find a place I can buy them and have them ship. Its got to be the best. I’m a California boy if your wondering; nothing out here like red hots. PLEASE HELP ME OUT

Was introduced to Maine Red hot dogs, while visiting over Christmas…pretty interesting. The “snap” when you take a bite I beleive is a result of using the skin, or intestines. or something natural….different from common dogs found every where else. Everyone should try one…we do not have them in VA. I can see where someone that grew up on them would really reminisce when again they are found. RBA

Hello Erin,
just came upon your blog for the first time…the red hot dog subject caught my attention. Being born and brought up in Maine, I think I was about 15 yrs old when I first realized that not all hot dogs of the world were red! I had never ate a “brown” hot dog until then, and quickly determined that I would probably try to avoid the brown ones at all costs (yuck!). Red is the only way to go! Unfortunately, having lived outside of Maine since my early twenties, red hot dogs cannot be found anywhere! I have made it a priority that during my 2 visits per year back home to Maine, I always stock up with Jordans red hot dogs to bring back to New York to bag and freeze those priceless little gems until the next trip to Maine when my supply has all but diminished. And yes…I said Jordans. I am not sure why you thought they went out of business? I just bought my most recent supply 2 days ago while on a trip to Maine for my nephew’s wedding. I am from northern Maine (Aroostook County). Maybe Jordans red hot dogs are not sold in the southern area? Anyway, just thought you would like to know they still exist. Here’s to yummy red hot dogs!

I too am from “the county” and there is a store in ellsworth maine called friends and family. RON the owner can and will ship out jordans as well as humpty dumpty chips….country kitchen donuts mine should b here Friday!

My Grandparents (we called them Memere and Pepere)are from Lewiston(sp?), Maine. As a special treat they would order them and have them shipped all the way to CA once a year. My Pepere just passed this July and yesterday would have been his 90th… so I am on a mission to find these amazing special treats.. thank so much for this blog… Very happy tears 🙂

Terribly sorry to hear about your recent loss, but thank you for sharing your happy memories with me 🙂 I certainly hope you can still have the hot dogs shipped. If you’re successful please let me know. I just moved to San Francisco and miss so many New England specific things now.

Ellsworth maine…has a store called frends and family they will ship them. The buns can also b shipped they r by country kitchen
Ron and his wife are wonderful and mine should be here in tx this Friday!

I lived in Maine for 10 years and miss the street vendors that served Red Hot Dogs on steamed buns the most! Now I’m living in the Mid-West and I’m trying desperately to find out how to get some. You’re website has brought back some wonderful memories. Thank you.

I googled “red hot dogs” because I am sitting here eating one and wondered what their origin was. This is the second year in a row that I have bought 10 or more packages from my local upstate NY Hannaford store when they go on clearance after summer. They look terrible but they are the best hot dog I have ever had.

I’ve lived on the west coast of Florida for 7 plus years. Only been home 3 times. Just had a friend make a trip to Maine and he brought back $100 for us to split. Love them and your right. If you haven’t had them they’re hard to describe.

5 years ago I moved from Iowa to Alabama. Growing up in Iowa I was never exposed to these red hot dogs. When I first got down here I thought….What in the!? I admit I was quite freaked out, but no matter where you go down here, if people are grilling they are grilling the red dogs- so- needless t say I have gotten use to them and I admit they are quite tasty! Isn’t it funny how different parts of the country are exposed to different things? Funny to think that something as common as a hot dog can be so different in different corners of life 🙂

Really would like to find Schultz hot dogs here in the state of Virginia. I really dislike all hot dogs except for Schultz but I can not find them here in the fine state of Virginia. I will tell you that these hot dogs are the best in the world and I pinky swear over that.

Here in North Carolina, the only GOOD hotdog is a RED hotdog-when at home that’s all we cook-when we go out and the dogs are tan/light brown I cringe-the smart restaurants offer both-the red ones they call red or southern classic-the other tan dog who cares-I’m not eating em-Red hotdogs are real prevalent in eastern NC-also try the (southern) casserole which is made with red hotdogs/bacon/baked beans-delicious

I was recently at a family reunion in Lewiston, ME & could swear that I saw the package from where the red hot dogs were taken to put on the grill read Jordan’s. We couldn’t find any Jordan’s at the long time local store Bourques where my father would always get them to bring back to MA, but they had Kayem & I believe Kirschner Red Hot Dogs & said they were out of the Jordan’s after a busy weekend (State Softball tournament was being held). We brought home a few packages of the familiar Kayem brand because they were on sale that day & they were delicious, but not as good as those 1st ones (in a long time) off the grill at the reunion, which I am certain were Jordan’s. It isn’t as if I even knew or cared the brand name when I was a kid, but remember the Jordan brand from purchases made over the past couple decades. Is Jordan’s really out of business? Is another brand still producing them under the Jordan’s name? This requires more answeres of research as I see conflicting info online.

I used to live in PortsmouthNH, and now live in Colorado and miss those red skins, can’t find them anywhere out here? I contacted WA Beans in Bangor and Kayems and they both said they arent available in my area? I did a web search and it says Jordans are available at Sams Club, but havent found one yet that carries them. I’m bummed!

I grew up on red hot dogs… Yummm! I remember my parents telling me that the reason you could only find them in Maine is because most states had banned the use of the red dye that was in them. I have no idea if that is true or not …

I will never understand why other countries decided to paint our good german sausages red. It looks horrible. So unnatural. They should be deliciously smoked and light brownish. You will never find red hot dogs in Germany…

In the early 1960’s when I was very small, my parents stayed once at a very fancy hotel on Sea Island, Georgia where my dad was friends with the original architect or something. Anyway, I’ve never forgotten the red hot dogs they sold out of a cart on the beach. They were red outside and all the way through. I remember that they tasted different from regular hot dogs but in a good way and I have always missed them. I found your website because my Mom and I happened to recall this memory while talking on the phone yesterday and I’ve been searching around the web all evening trying to see if I can find red hot dogs.

The red is dye, purely decorative to let you know you are about to eat the snappiest, oil-slickedest, a little spicier than average but not hot, natural casing pork and beef frank on the planet… by snappiest, I mean best.
Though by best, I mean best, however opinions are only to be taken as valid when temporal qualifications are admitted. Best is a heavy word to attach forever to, so I can’t do it. But I do miss those dogs, so right now they are best.